Friday, 7 December 2012

Here are a few photos from last weeks show.
Thank you to Great Western Studios for having us!

Now there's only one week left of this term; crazy. And a week after we get back, we have another show!
The RCA School of Materials Work in Progress show opens on January 15, including work from 256 students. (I'll remind you closer to the time.)

Thursday, 22 November 2012

There are a two things which (pretty much) always make me in a good mood: cycling and lampworking. I hadn't done any lampworking since last term, but the last couple of weeks i've had another go.

I have much to learn, and then i break a lot of the things i make; but managed to make a few little things anyway.
Here are a photos of a few of the things that are going into our Work in Progress show next week at Great Western Studios.
The last little figures and details are in the kilns just now, so almost ready for it!

Sunday, 23 September 2012

Two weeks ago, Sunday 9th September, i cycled into Istanbul.
6 weeks exactly, and 4183km.
Now i'm back in London, getting my head around being a student - staying in one place - again. I miss cycling, camping, everything!
As you can see from the map, my route ended up being quite different than originally planned! People i met, things i heard about on the way, and sometimes just taking a wrong turn or spur of the moment decisions, meant that i made it up as i went.
I can't decide what place i liked best, but i would definitely like to go back to Ukraine again, and also cycle in Serbia and Macedonia and through the centre of Bulgaria, since i didn't make it there this time.
I met some amazing people, saw lots of birds, interesting places and beautiful nature, and ate a huge amount of food. I (obviously) cycled alot - on every type of road, track, and path i can think of. Up and down small mountains and big hills, over the too-flat Great Hungarian Plain, through forests and villages and towns and cities. I swam in rivers, streams and the Black Sea. I slept in my tent, a cave, a monastery, a vegetable truck, hostels and one Romanian hotel. I got 9 punctures, but otherwise Faggin didn't have any problems - thanks again to the Vintage Bike Cave!
And now i can't wait for the next trip! I just have to finish my masters first.
If anyone has any questions about gear or anything, just ask!

Tuesday, 14 August 2012

Heading to Ukraine was definitely a good decision!
I'm in Uzghorod now, going to Slovakia today, and i'm a bit sad to leave - i'll have to come back another time. The roads are pretty terrible, and my shoes got stolen in the mountains, but other than that it's been only good!

I was very lucky to meet a Ukrainian cyclist at the border, who was heading to Lvov, so i went with him. We didn't speak the same language but managed to communicate pretty well anyways. His friends in Lvov were vegetable sellers, so we all slept in their van, among melons and tomatoes and chillies. They were all brilliant. (I mean the people, but the fruit was too!)

I've been out 2 weeks now, and have 4 weeks left till i need to be in Istanbul. I've done 1600km so far, so soon about halfway i guess, depending on the way i go. The plan now - though it keeps changing all the time! - is to go into Slovakia, then Hungary, then Romania, then Serbia, then Bulgaria, then Turkey.

Sunday, 5 August 2012

I'm in Kielce now!
The first 803km have been great, i really like Poland!
In Gdynia i slept in a youth hostel, where i met a Polish cyclist who was heading south, so i joined him for the first couple of days. First day to Tlen, then to Ciechocinek, then to Lodz, and yesterday to Kielce.
I'm staying here for a couple of days to sort some things out (broken camera, tired neck etc), and then onwards.
Maps and photos will hopefully follow later on...

Monday, 30 July 2012

I left Kolvarp just after 8 this morning. Without my luggage!
My
mum came to the rescue, driving around solving my phone-charging
problem: we can't get the dynamo charger to work, so she's bought 2
little solar-powered chargers (from Clas Olson), so now i'm sorted. Then
she drove down to Karlskrona and was waiting with coffee and food when i
finally arrived.

It was longer than i thought - ended
up cycling 174km. But it was a good ride! I used the GPS map thing on
the phone which directed me along all sorts of little roads i would
never have found otherwise.

Now we're sitting in the
tent, to keep away from the midges (i'm using my mum's laptop). As you
can see from the photos we're camping right next to the ferry! So
tomorrow morning will be an easy ride.

Sunday, 29 July 2012

After going on about it for months and months, it's finally time (almost) to set off on my bike trip: Kolvarp, Sweden to Istanbul, Turkey.
I've gotten lots of help in getting ready - eg my brother and his girlfriend dried vegetables, tofu & beans for me, my mum has been baking, and everyone has put up with me talking about it the whole time.

I've got 6 weeks, starting tomorrow morning.
I leave from a little village called Kolvarp, then take the ferry from Karlskrona to Gdynia in Poland. Then i'll make my way to Kielce, to visit the Design Centrum Kielce for some ceramics. Then into Slovakia, to see if i can find any bears. Then towards Ljubliana in Slovenia, where my friend has promised to put me in touch with an epic accordion player. After that i'll head down the Croatian coast, and then either into Albania and Macedonia, or else go across Bosnia & Herzegovina and Serbia, through Bulgaria and finally into Turkey to Istanbul! Me and my bike fly from there to London on 13th September.

My bike is all ready to go.
It's a good old used steel frame, which Graham from the Vintage Bike Cave built for me, and it's lovely to ride. I was having trouble with neck & shoulder pain, but changed to a taller, shorter stem and that seems to have solved the problem.
I'll be camping in a little one-person tent, and cooking on a little one-person Trangia stove.
I've loaded my phone full of maps, and it has GPS, so i should be able to keep on track. Having some issues with the Nokia DC-14 dynamo-charger kit that i bought (it says it's compatible with all Nokia phones that have a 2mm connection, but with my phone you have to pedal above 30mph for it to start charging, which i won't be doing, unfortunately!), but there might be a solution...
Hopefully i'll be able to post something here along the way, otherwise when i get back to London in September.

Tuesday, 12 June 2012

Monday, 11 June 2012

The past two terms our C&G class has been divided into groups. I've been in the 'Home' group.
We're doing a little pop-up exhibition together - fittingly, in the home of two collectors, who have very generously let us show our work in their house!

We set it up today; here are a few pictures of the pieces i'm showing. (I finally managed to make a couple of clouds that can stand on their glass roots.)

It's open all day Wednesday (if you happen to be in London), 10am - 5pm.
7 Wetherby Gardens, SW5 0JN
Welcome!